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diff --git a/old/66575-0.txt b/old/66575-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 51a9230..0000000 --- a/old/66575-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2230 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 45, Vol. I, November 8, 1884, by -Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, - Fifth Series, No. 45, Vol. I, November 8, 1884 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: October 20, 2021 [eBook #66575] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 45, VOL. I, NOVEMBER 8, -1884 *** - - - - -[Illustration: - -CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL - -OF POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART - -Fifth Series - -ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, 1832 - -CONDUCTED BY R. CHAMBERS (SECUNDUS) - -NO. 45.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -THE STORY OF A VAST EXPLOSION. - - -The greatest physical convulsion of recent times occurred on the -morning of the 27th of August last year, the scene of the catastrophe -being a small island in the Sunda Straits, which separate Sumatra and -Java. It is a region which there is much reason to regard as one of the -intensest foci of volcanic activity on the earth’s surface. The main -facts connected with this event, although slow in coming to hand, are -now fairly within the records of science. Krakatoa, the volcanic island -which a year or two ago was seven miles long by five broad, is about -thirty miles from the Java coast. When surveyed in 1868-69, the island -was found to be clothed from base to summit with a luxuriant growth of -forest and tropical vegetation, but uninhabited. A few weeks prior to -the eruption, the volcano, which had been dormant for two centuries, -gave signs of an awakening. On the 20th of May several shocks, -accompanied by loud explosions and hollow reverberations, startled the -inhabitants of the towns of Batavia and Buitenzorg, about ninety miles -distant.[1] These disturbances continued for the next three months with -more or less activity. On the 11th and 18th of August the energy of the -volcano increased, and there were symptoms of a crisis. On the 26th and -the night following, several eruptions took place, until the climax was -reached on the following morning. The submarine base of the mountain -then seems, according to all available evidence, to have literally -‘caved in.’ This was apparently accompanied by an influx of the sea -into the molten interior, the instantaneous development of superheated -steam, and then an explosion which, for its colossal energy, is -unparalleled in the annals of volcanic outbreaks. - -The enormous power of this eruption can only be adequately understood -by its effects; these we now briefly summarise. The explosion itself, -according to Dr Verbeek, one of the Dutch Commission appointed to -investigate the nature and results of this catastrophe, caused the -north part of the island to be blown away, and to fall eight miles to -the north, forming what is now named Steer’s Island. Moreover, the -north-east portion of the island of Krakatoa was also hurled into the -air, passed over Lang Island, and fell at a distance of seven miles, -forming what is now known as Calmeyer Island. In proof of this, we have -the fact elicited by the newly made marine survey of the Straits, that -‘_the bottom surrounding these new islands has not risen_.’ This would -have been the case had they been upheaved in the usual way. Not only -so, but the bottom round these new islands shows a slightly _increased -depth_ in the direction of the submarine pit, nearly one thousand feet -deep, which now marks the place the peak of Krakatoa occupied prior -to the convulsion. But out of the midst of this deep depression there -rises ‘like a gigantic club’ a remarkable column of rock of an area -not more than thirty-three square feet, which projects sixteen feet -above the surface of the sea. The southern part is all that is now left -of the island of Krakatoa, and this fragment on its north side is now -bounded by a magnificent precipitous cliff more than two thousand five -hundred feet high. It has been thought by some, however, that the first -portion of the island was blown away on the evening of August 26th, and -that on the following morning the larger mass, answering to Calmeyer -Island, was shot out by an effort still more titanic. - -The shock of the explosion was felt at a distance of four thousand -miles, being equal to an area of one-sixth of the earth’s surface—that -is, at Burmah, Ceylon and the Andaman Islands to the north-west, in -some parts of India, at Saigon and Manila to the north, at Dorey in -the Geelvink Bay (New Guinea) to the east, and throughout Northern -Australia to the south-west. Lloyd’s agents at Batavia, in Java, stated -that on the eve of this vast explosion, the detonations ‘grew louder, -till in the early morning the reports and concussions were simply -deafening, not to say alarming.’ So violent were the air-waves, due to -this cause, that walls were rent by them at a distance of five hundred -miles, and so great the volume of smoke and ashes, that Batavia, eighty -miles off, was shrouded in complete darkness for two hours. Nearly four -months after the eruption, masses of floating pumice, each several -acres in extent, were seen in the Straits of Sunda. - -Paradoxical as it appears, the sound was sometimes better heard in -distant places than in those nearer the seat of disturbance. This -singular effect has been thus explained—assuming, for example, the -presence of a thick cloud of ashes between Krakatoa and Anjer, this -would act on the sound-waves like a thick soft cushion; along and above -such an ash-cloud the sound would be very easily propelled to more -remote places, for instance, Batavia; whereas at Anjer, close behind -the ash-cloud, no sounds, or only faint ones, would be heard. Other -explanations seem to be less probable, though not impossible. - -Dr Verbeek states that within a circle of nine and a-half miles’ -radius (fifteen kilomètres) from the mountain, the layers of volcanic -ash cover the ground to a depth of from sixty-five to one hundred -and thirty feet, and at the back of the island the thickness of the -ash-mountains is in some places even from one hundred and ninety-five -to two hundred and sixty feet, and that the matter so projected -extends over a known area of seven hundred and fifty thousand square -kilomètres (285,170 square miles), or a space larger than the German -Empire with the Netherlands and Belgium, including Denmark and Iceland, -or nearly twenty-one times the size of the Netherlands. Moreover, he -calculates that the quantity of solid substance ejected by the volcano -was eighteen cubic kilomètres, or 4.14 _cubic miles_. To give some -idea of the enormous volume this represents, we may take the following -illustration: the largest of the Egyptian pyramids has upwards of -eighty-two millions of cubic feet of masonry; it would therefore take -about _seven thousand three hundred and sixty of such structures_ to -equal the bulk of matter thrown out by this eruption. Some of this -matter was found to contain smooth round balls from five-eighths to two -and a-quarter inches in diameter, and composed of fifty-five per cent. -of carbonate of lime. - -As may well be imagined, the final outburst by its awful energy gave -rise to a succession of air-waves. These we now know went round the -earth more than once, and recorded themselves on the registering -barometers or barograms at the Mauritius, Berlin, Rome, St Petersburg, -Valencia, Coimbra (Portugal), and other far-distant places. At -some points, as many as seven such disturbances were noted; other -instruments not so sensitive gave evidence of five, by which time the -wave had pretty well spent itself. - -Having collected the observations made at all the chief meteorological -stations, General Strachey recently read a paper before the Royal -Society which, in his opinion, conclusively shows that an immense -air-wave started from Krakatoa at about thirty minutes past nine A.M. -on August 27th. Spreading from this common centre, the wave went three -and a-quarter times round the globe, and those parts of it which had -travelled in opposite directions passed through one another ‘somewhere -in the antipodes of Java.’ The velocity of the aërial undulations -which travelled from east to west was calculated at six hundred and -seventy-four miles per hour, those moving in the reverse direction at -seven hundred and six miles per hour, or nearly the velocity of sound. - -But another effect of the eruption was a series of ‘tidal waves,’ -so called—although the term is objected to because not strictly -scientific—which, like the air-wave, passed round the world. Whether -this was synchronous with the final explosion, it is not possible to -say. The highest of these seismic sea-waves, which was over one hundred -feet high, swept the shores on either side of the Straits, and wrought -terrible destruction to life and property. More than thirty-five -thousand persons perished through it; the greater part of the district -of North Bantam was destroyed, the towns of Anjer, Merak, Tjeringin, -and others being overwhelmed. - -The initial movement of this destructive agent was undoubtedly of the -nature of a negative wave; but the best testimony to this is lost, -since those who witnessed it were its victims. The sudden subsidence -of so large an area of the sea-bottom in the Straits caused the sea to -recede from the neighbouring shores. This negative wave was, however, -seen by Captain Ferrat from his vessel, as she lay at anchor at Port -Louis. He states that towards two P.M. he saw the water in the harbour -roll back and suddenly fall four or five feet; and that, a quarter of -an hour afterwards, the sea returned with great violence to its former -level, causing his own and other vessels to roll terribly. The best -witness of this remarkable phenomenon, however, is Captain Watson, of -the British ship _Charles Ball_. His vessel was actually within the -Straits, and he states that he and his helmsman ‘saw a wave rush right -on to Button Island, apparently sweeping right over the south part, and -rising half-way up to the north and east sides fifty or sixty feet, -and then continuing on to the Java shore. This was evidently a wave of -translation and not of progression, for it was not felt at the ship.’ -This latter movement, beyond question, must have coincided with the -great ‘tidal wave’ above mentioned, and which was felt at Aden, on the -Ceylon coast, Port Blair, Nagapatam, Port Elizabeth, Kurrachee, Bombay, -and half-way up to Calcutta on the Hooghly, the north-west coast of -Australia, Honolulu, Kadiall in Alaska, San Celeto near San Francisco, -and the east coast of New Zealand. - -In this as in most other cases of volcanic disturbance, electrical -phenomena were observed. One vessel in particular, while passing -through the Sunda Straits, exhibited ‘balls of fire’ at her masthead -and at the extremities of her yardarms. Further, it was noticed at -the Oriental Telephone Station, Singapore, a place five hundred miles -from Krakatoa, that on raising the receiving instrument to the ears, a -perfect roar as of a waterfall was heard; and by shouting at the top -of one’s voice, the clerk at the other end of the wire was able just -to hear something like articulation, but not a single sentence could -be understood. On the line to Ishore, which includes a submarine cable -about a mile long, reports like pistol-shots were heard. These noises -were considered due to a disturbance of the earth’s magnetic field, -caused by the explosion, and reacting on the wires of the telephone. - -We have now to refer to what has been a much debated question. From -about September to the beginning of the present year, remarkable -coronal appearances and sunglows were noticed in different parts of -the world, and especially the somewhat rare phenomena of red, green, -and blue suns. Observers such as Norman Lockyer, Dr Meldrum, and -Helmholtz maintained that the phenomena were due to volcanic dust at -a great altitude; others, and notably meteorologists, rejected this -hypothesis, and urged that the coloured suns were due to unusually -favourable atmospheric conditions, such colours being probably due -to the refraction and reflection of light by watery vapours. But the -theory that volcanic dust caused these appearances is fast gaining -ground, if it be not already an incontrovertible fact. The spectroscope -has shown that dust of almost microscopic fineness floating in the air -caused the sun to appear red. Such dust has already fallen, and the -microscope reveals the existence in it of salt particles. This, then, -is fairly conclusive evidence of the volcanic origin of such dust. That -ash particles were actually carried very far in the upper air-currents, -has already appeared from snow which fell in Spain and rain in Holland, -in which the _same components_ were found as in the Krakatoa ashes. -Dr Verbeek estimates that the height to which this fine matter was -projected ‘may very well have reached’ forty-five to sixty thousand -feet. - -In a letter addressed to the _Midland Naturalist_ by Mr Clement Wragge, -of Torrens Observatory, Adelaide, South Australia, and dated July 17, -1884, the writer remarks that recently, when there were magnificent -sunsets, he obtained ‘a perfectly sharp, clean spectrum without a trace -of vapour-bands.’ And further, he is strongly of opinion that the -Krakatoa eruption is the primary cause of these wondrous pictures in -the Kosmos. - -There can now be little doubt but that the green and blue suns and -exceptional sunsets observed in Europe, India, Africa, North and South -America, Japan, and Australia, were due to the Krakatoa eruption. The -enormous volume of volcanic dust and steam shot up into the higher -atmospheric zones by this convulsion are adequate to furnish the -chromatic effects above mentioned. - -But we have better evidence still: these peculiar solar effects -followed a tolerably straight course to one which was in fact chiefly -confined to a narrow belt near the equator; the data now collected show -that on the second day after the eruption they appeared on the east -coast of Africa, on the third day on the Gold Coast, at Trinidad on the -sixth, and at Honolulu the ninth day. Finally, in a paper read by Dr -Douglas Archibald at the late British Association meeting at Montreal, -it was stated that ‘observations showed that the dates of the sunglows -began _earlier_ in Java, then apparently spread gradually away, the -dust being so high as to be in the upper currents, of which we know -little. These sunset glows were not seen before the eruption.... The -dust appeared to have travelled at a uniform rate, over two thousand -miles daily.’ ‘The topic,’ says Mr S. E. Bishop, writing from -Honolulu, ‘is an endless one. Many ask what is the cause of frequent -revivals of the red glows, such as the very fine one of August 19. It -seems merely to show an irregular distribution of the vast clouds of -thin Krakatoa haze still lingering in the upper atmosphere. They drift -about, giving us sometimes more, sometimes less, of their presence. -It is also not unlikely that in varying hygrometric conditions the -minute dust-particles become nuclei for ice crystals of varying size. -This would greatly vary their reflecting power, and accords with some -observations of Mr C. J. Lyons, showing that the amount of red glow -varies according to the prevalence of certain winds.’ Further facts are -coming to hand respecting this great natural convulsion. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The eruption of May was noticed in a previous article (Nov. 24, -1883). - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - - -CHAPTER LV.—SWEET ARE THE USES OF ADVERSITY. - -Soon after reading Mr Shield’s letter, Madge walked to Ringsford with -Pansy. There had been a thaw during the night, and the meadows and the -ploughed lands were transformed into sheets of dirty gray, dirty blue, -and reddish slush, according to the character of the soil, dotted with -patches of snow like the ghosts of islets in a lake of puddle. But the -red sun had a frosty veil on his face; by-and-by this puddle would be -glazed with ice, and the heavy drops of melting snow which were falling -slowly from the trees would become glittering crystal pendants to their -branches. - -The two girls, their cheeks tingling with the bite of the east -wind, tramped bravely through the slush, with no greater sense of -inconvenience than was caused by the fact that they would be obliged to -perform the journey by the road instead of taking the short-cut through -the Forest. - -They spoke little, for each was occupied with her own troublous -thoughts; Pansy did not know much of the sources of her friend’s -anxieties, and Madge had already exhausted the consolation she could -offer to her companion. On arriving at Ringsford they found Sam Culver -attending to his plants and greenhouses as methodically as if the -mansion stood as sound as ever it had done and the daily supply of -fruit and flowers would be required as usual. - -Madge left Pansy with her father, and went on to the cottage. In the -kitchen she found Miss Hadleigh fast asleep in the gardener’s big -armchair. She would have left the room without disturbing her, but at -that moment Miss Hadleigh yawned and awakened. - -‘Don’t go away; I am not sleeping.—Oh, it’s you, Madge. Isn’t this a -dreadful state of things? I haven’t had a wink of sleep for two nights, -and feel as if I should drop on the floor in hysterics or go off into a -fever.’ - -Miss Hadleigh had been relieved by a good many ‘winks’ during the -period specified, although, like many other nurses, she was convinced -that she had not closed her eyes all the time. Madge accepted the -assertion literally, and was instantly all eagerness to relieve her. - -‘You must get away to Willowmere at once, and take a proper rest. You -are not to refuse, for I will take your place here and do whatever may -be required. You are looking so ill, Beatrice, that I am sure Philip -and—somebody else would consider me an unfeeling creature if I allowed -you to stay any longer.’ - -‘But it is my duty to stay, dear,’ said Miss Hadleigh a little faintly, -for she did not like to hear that she was looking ill. - -‘And it is my duty to relieve you. Besides, Dr Joy has given us some -hope that it may be safe to remove your father to our house to-day; and -then you will be there, refreshed and ready to receive him.’ - -‘I suppose you are right—I am not fit for much at present,’ said Miss -Hadleigh languidly; ‘and you can do everything for him a great deal -better than I can. But I must wait till Philip comes—he promised to be -here early.’ - -‘You have heard from him, then?’ - -‘Heard from him!—he was here last night as soon as he could get away -from that nasty business he has been swindled into by our nice Uncle -Shield. He ought to have taken poor papa’s advice at the beginning, and -have had nothing to do with him.’ - -This was uttered so spitefully, that it seemed as if there were an -undercurrent of satisfaction in the young lady’s mind at finding that -the rich uncle who would only acknowledge one member of the family, had -turned out a deceiver. - -Madge was astonished and chagrined by the information that Philip had -been out on the previous evening and had made no sign to her; but in -the prospect of seeing him soon, she put the chagrin aside, remembering -how harassed he was at this juncture in his affairs. There should -be no silly lovers’ quarrel between them, if she could help it. She -would take the plain, commonplace view of the position, and make every -allowance for any eccentricity he might display. She would help him in -spite of himself, by showing that no alteration of circumstances could -alter her love, and that she was ready to wait for him all her life if -she could not serve him in any other way. To be sure, he had said the -engagement was at an end; and Uncle Dick had not yet said that it was -to stand good. But she loved Philip: her life was his, and misfortune -ought to draw them nearer to one another than all the glories of -success—than all the riches in the world. - -When he came, there was no sign of astonishment at her presence in the -temporary refuge of his father: he seemed to accept it as a matter of -course that she should be there. Neither was there any sign that he -remembered the manner in which they had last parted. To her anxious -eyes he seemed to have grown suddenly very old. The frank joyous voice -was hushed into a low grave whisper; the cheeks and eyes were sunken; -and there was in his manner a cold self-possession that chilled her. -Yet something in the touch of his hand reassured her: love was still -in his heart, although the careless youth, full of bright dreams and -fancies, was changed into the man, who, through loss and suffering, had -come to realise the stern realities of life. - -They were for a time prevented from speaking together in private -because the doctors had arrived only a few minutes before Philip, and -he waited to hear their report. Dr Joy came out of the invalid’s room -with an expression which was serious but confident. - -‘Our patient goes on admirably,’ he said. ‘You need have no fear of -any immediate danger; and in six months there will be only a few scars -to show the danger he has passed through. I am to stay here for a -couple of hours, and then I shall know whether or not we can move him -to Willowmere. By that time, too, I expect the ambulance we wrote for -last night will be here.—And you, Miss Hadleigh, you really must take -rest. I insist upon it. You will not make your father better by making -yourself ill. Go and get to bed. Philip and Miss Heathcote will do -everything that is necessary, and I shall be their overseer.’ - -Philip went to the stables to tell Toomey to bring the carriage -round for his sister. As he was crossing the little green on his way -back to the cottage, Madge met him. Although he had not observed her -approaching, his head being bowed and eyes fixed on the ground, he -took the outstretched hands without any sign of surprise, without any -indication that he understood the cruel significance of the ‘good-bye’ -which had caused them both so much pain. Whatever hesitation she might -have felt as to the course she was to pursue was removed by his first -words. - -‘You want to speak to me, Madge,’ he said in a tone of gentle gravity; -and then with a faint smile: ‘I am better than when you saw me last, -for I am free from suspense. My position is clear to me now, and I -feel that a man is more at ease when the final blow falls and strikes -him down, than he can be whilst he is struggling vainly for the goal -he has not strength enough to reach. It is a great relief to know that -we are beaten and to be able to own it. Then there is a possibility of -plodding on to the end without much pain.’ - -She was as much alarmed by this absolute surrender to adversity as she -had been by the strange humour which had prompted him to say that she -was free. - -‘Yes, Philip, I want to speak to you,’ she said tenderly, and a -spasmodic movement of the hand which grasped hers, signified that the -electric current of affection was not yet broken. She went on the more -earnestly: ‘I am not going to think about the foolish things you have -said to me: I am going to ask you to give me your confidence—to tell me -everything that has happened during the last two days. Tell it to me, -if you like, as to your friend.’ - -‘Always my friend,’ he muttered, bending forward as if to kiss her -brow, and then drawing slowly back, like one who checks himself in the -commission of some error. - -‘Always your friend,’ she echoed with emphasis, ‘and therefore you -should be able to speak freely.’ - -‘There is not much to tell you. The ruin is more complete than even I -imagined it to be, and the fault is mine. Your friend—I ought to say -our friend—Mr Beecham has made a generous offer for the business, and, -with certain modifications, will allow it to be carried on under my -management. This relieves us from immediate difficulties; and in a -short time Mr Shield expects to have recovered sufficiently from his -recent losses to be able to assist me in redeeming all that has been -lost.’ - -‘What gladder news could there be than this?’ she exclaimed with cheeks -aglow and brightening eyes; ‘and yet you tell it as if it gave you no -pleasure. Philip, Philip! this is not like you—it is not right to be so -melancholy when the future is so bright.’ - -‘Is it so bright? Are you forgetting how long it must be before I can -repay Mr Shield? before’—— - -He was going to say, ‘before I can ask you to risk your future in mine, -and what changes may take place meanwhile!’ - -The earnest tender eyes were fixed upon him, and they were reading his -thoughts, whilst she appeared to be waiting for him to complete the -interrupted sentence. She saw the colour slowly rising on his brow, and -knew that he was feeling ashamed of the doubt implied in his thought. - -‘I want to tell you something,’ she said in her quiet brave way, ‘and -I hope—no, I _believe_ that it will take one disagreeable fancy out of -your head. I know that you did not mean what you said to me on that -dreadful evening.’ - -‘What else could a ruined man say?’ (This huskily and turning his face -aside.) - -‘He could say that he trusted his friends. Even Uncle Dick is angry -with you for imagining that your misfortune could make any difference -in his feelings towards you. And for me, you _ought_ to say ... but -there, I am not going to speak about what you ought to say to me; I am -only going to tell you what I shall do.’ - -He looked quickly at her, and the eager inquiry on his pale face -rendered the words ‘What is that?’ superfluous. - -‘I shall wait until you come for me; and when you come, I shall be -ready to go with you where you will, whether you are poor or rich. No -matter what anybody says—no matter what _you_ say, I shall wait.’ - -‘O Madge!’ - -He could say nothing more; the man’s soul was in that whisper. Their -hands were clasped: they were looking into each other’s eyes: the world -seemed to sink away from them; and the woman’s devotion changed the -winter into summer, changed the man’s ruin into success. - -He drew her arm within his; and they walked past the blackened walls of -the Manor, and along the paths where they had spent so many pleasant -hours during his recovery from the accident with the horse, to the -place where he had thrown off the doctor’s control and got out of the -wheel-chair. - -‘I am not so sorry now for what has happened,’ were his first words. -‘It is worth losing everything to gain so much.’ - -‘But you have not lost everything, Philip.’ - -‘No; I should say that I have won everything. I am glad to have saved -Wrentham from penal servitude, for his frauds have enabled me to -realise the greatest of all blessings—the knowledge that come what may -you can make me happy.’ - -‘And I am happy too,’ she said softly, their arms tightening as they -walked on again in silence. - -By-and-by he lifted his head, and seemed to shake the frost from his -hair. - -‘The doctor said I ought to have rest. I have got it from you, Madge. -I can look straight again at the whole botheration—thank you, my -darling.’ (A gentle pressure on his arm was the answer, and he went -on.) ‘The arrangement offered by Beecham is a very good and kind one, -which will enable me in course of time to clear myself whilst carrying -out my scheme; we can take a small house; Mr Shield will live with us, -and we must try to make him comfortable. Then we need not wait for the -end of next harvest, unless you still insist’—— - -‘No, Philip; when you bid me come to you, I am ready.’ - - - - -CIGARS. - - -It has been abundantly shown by various writers that the Indians of -North America as well as elsewhere looked upon tobacco as having a -divine origin, as being a peculiar and special gift designed by the -‘Good Spirit’ for their delectation, and that it held a prominent place -in their visions of a future life in the ‘happy hunting-grounds.’ In -the present day, there seems to be an ever increasing dependence on—we -might almost say slavery to—the plant, whose soothing influences are -called in quest to counteract the effects of this high-pressure age. -There are not a few of its devotees who are quite at one with Salvation -Yeo in _Westward Ho_, who, when speaking of tobacco, says: ‘For when -all things were made, none was made better than this; to be a lone -man’s companion, a bachelor’s friend, a hungry man’s food, a sad man’s -cordial, a wakeful man’s sleep, and a chilly man’s fire. There’s no -herb like unto it under the canopy of heaven.’ We do not, however, -propose to discuss the opposing views held by the smoker and the -anti-smoker, but intend to restrict ourselves to some remarks on the -manufacture of cigars, which have been suggested by a recent visit to -the West Indies. - -Of the endless varieties of cigars which are met with in various -tropical localities, the majority are used for local consumption, and -only find their way into England in very small quantities. The bulk of -our cigars are either Havana or Manila, European or British, and of -these it has been computed that considerably over two hundred million -are consumed annually in the United Kingdom. It is evident, therefore, -that the manufacture of this luxury is a business of great magnitude, -irrespective of the other forms of tobacco used; and if we remember -that the duty obtained from tobacco of all kinds puts nearly nine -millions per annum into the national exchequer, it becomes possible to -realise how much the comfort and happiness of a large number of Her -Majesty’s subjects depend on the products of the tobacco crop. - -An Havana cigar of a good brand is deservedly looked upon as the _crême -de la crême_ of cigars; but, unfortunately, the number of good makers -as well as the possible production of first-class cigars is necessarily -limited. Thus the manufacture of the ‘Villar y Villar’ brand is stated -to be never more than twenty-five thousand daily; while that of ‘Henry -Clays’ is fully three times as many. For some time back there has -been a deterioration in Havanas, which has been variously accounted -for. It is asserted that, from the exhaustive nature of the crop, -guano or other artificial stimulants are largely used, and that the -flavour of the leaf has suffered in consequence. Besides, owing to the -increasing demand, tobacco has been grown on poor land unsuitable for -the production of the finest leaf, and even has been largely imported -into Cuba for the manufacture of ‘genuine’ Havanas. To those, however, -who cannot afford to buy the best brands, it is satisfactory to know -that a new source of supply is being opened up with great energy. The -climate and soil of some parts of Jamaica very closely resemble those -of Havana, and are well suited for the growth of the finest leaf. As -the Jamaica planters open up their virgin soil, it is safe to predict -that with growing experience they will improve in their manufactures, -while already they produce a cigar which compares favourably with any -but the best of Cuban make. - -British cigars, like all other varieties, may be good, bad, or -indifferent. By British we mean cigars manufactured in this country -from the imported leaf; and as English capital can command the markets, -there is no reason why the best tobacco should not be obtainable for -importation. Using the same quality of leaf, a cigar can be produced -in this country at a much lower cost than if imported ready made. -We venture to think, notwithstanding popular prejudice, that a good -British cigar is preferable to an inferior foreign make. Pay a fair -price, and you will get a good article—home made, in spite of the -Spanish labels, which are always used either from affectation or in -order to deceive the ignorant. Much is heard about adulteration by -means of cabbage-leaves, &c.; but we believe that it is almost unknown -in this country. The fact that inferior tobaccos are so very cheap -makes fraud both unlikely and unnecessary. Adulteration, however, is -not unknown on the continent, where cigars can be obtained six and ten -for a penny; but the duty of five shillings per pound is fortunately a -bar to their importation into Great Britain. It is needless to say more -about continental cigars than we do about all cheap cigars, and that is -to recommend smokers to avoid them. - -The manufacture of the finished article requires highly skilled -labour, and long practice gives the workman an amount of accuracy and -dexterity in producing cigar after cigar, alike in shape and size, -with a rapidity that is truly wonderful. After the leaves have been -properly cured, they are sorted according to size and colour. The -centre rib is then extracted, an operation requiring great care. Each -workman is seated before a flat board, and is supplied with a bunch -of perfect leaves and a pile of broken tobacco. With his fingers, he -quickly rolls up some broken pieces, inclosing them in one of the less -perfect leaves, forming what is called ‘the bunch.’ This he proceeds to -cover with the wrapper or perfect leaf, which he has already cut with -his knife to the required size. The most difficult part of the process -has now to be completed, namely, closing in the point. This he does by -modelling it with his fingers, quickly twisting the wrapper round it, -and fixing the end with a drop of gum. With one sweep of his knife—his -only implement—he trims the broad end, and the cigar is ready to be -carried to the drying-room, afterwards to be sorted and packed in boxes. - -It is easier to know a good cigar when you smoke one than to describe -the points by which a good cigar may be selected. A good cigar, -however, should have a good wrapper or exterior; it should have a faint -gloss, not amounting to greasiness, due to the essential oil contained -in it; and it should have a fine hairy ‘down’ on its surface. In -addition to this, it should be firmly rolled, and yet not be hard, or -it will not draw well. When lighted it should burn evenly, and not to -one side; it should carry a two-inch ash without endangering your coat, -and if laid aside for three or four minutes, should still be alight -when taken up again. It is worth remembering the golden rule known to -the lovers of the fragrant weed, namely, when holding a lighted cigar, -always to keep the burning end turned upwards, so that the smoke may -escape into the air—never downwards, as that causes the smoke to pass -through the body of the cigar. - -In concluding these brief remarks, it may not be amiss to say a word -or two about the markings which will be found on the boxes, and about -which a good deal of ignorance exists. On most boxes there are four -distinct markings, which have each their own significance. First comes -the brand proper, which consists either of the maker’s name or of some -fancy name adopted by the firm; such, for example, as Partagas, Villar -y Villar, Intimidads, Henry Clays, &c. The quality of the tobacco is -next indicated by Flor Fina, first quality; Flor, second quality, &c. -Various names, such as Infantes, Reinas, Imperiales, &c., are used to -represent the size or shape of the cigar. The fourth mark gives us an -idea of the strength or colour of the tobacco contained in the box; and -for this purpose the following terms are used—Claro, Colorado claro, -Maduro, &c. To attempt to give any advice to our readers as to the best -brands to buy would be beyond the scope of this paper. Experience will -soon teach them what to accept and what to avoid; what suits their -tastes and their pockets, and what does not. - - - - -ONE WOMAN’S HISTORY. - - -CHAPTER VI. - -‘Phew! There’s not a breath of air in this valley. One had need be a -salamander to appreciate a morning like this. But what a lovely nook it -is—eh, Mac? Quite worth coming half-a-dozen miles to see.’ - -‘That it’s very pretty, I’ll not attempt to deny; but still’—— - -‘By no means equal to what you could show us t’other side of the -Border,’ said the vicar with a twinkle. ‘That’s understood, of course.’ - -The time was the forenoon of the day following the evening on which -Madame De Vigne had been so startled by the sudden appearance of one -whom she had every reason to believe had died long years before. - -The scene was a small but romantic glen. Over the summit of a cliff, at -the upper end of a rocky ravine, a stream, which took its rise among -the stern hills that shut in the background, leapt in a cascade of -feathery foam. After a fall of some fifteen or twenty feet, it reached -a broad, shallow basin, in which it spread itself out, as if to gather -breath for its second leap, which, however, was not quite so formidable -as its first one. After this, still babbling its own liquid music, it -fretted its way among the boulders with which its channel was thickly -strewn, and so, after a time, left the valley behind it; and then, less -noisily, and lingering lovingly by many a quiet pool, it gradually -crept onward to the lake, in the deep bosom of whose dark waters lay -the peace for which it seemed to have been craving so long. - -A steep and somewhat rugged pathway wound up either side of the glen to -the tableland at the summit, overhung with trees and shrubs of various -kinds, with a rustic seat planted here and there at some specially -romantic point of view. Ferns, mosses, flowers, and grasses innumerable -clothed the rocky sides of the ravine down almost to the water’s -edge. At the foot of the glen the stream was spanned by a quaint old -bridge, on which the vicar and Dr M‘Murdo were now standing. It was -the day of the picnic of which Madame De Vigne had made mention to -Colonel Woodruffe, and the party from the _Palatine_ had driven over -in a couple of wagonettes, which, together with the hampers containing -luncheon, were stationed in a shady spot a quarter of a mile lower down -the valley. - -‘Look, Mac, look!’ exclaimed the vicar, ‘at those two speckled darlings -lurking there in the shadow of the bridge. I must come and try my luck -here one of these days.’ - -‘You look just a bit feckless this morning without your rod and basket.’ - -‘Where was the use of bringing them? No trout worth calling a trout -would rise on a morning like this, when there’s not a cloud in the -sky as big as one’s hand, and not breeze enough to raise a ripple on -the water. I’ve brought my hammer instead, so that I shan’t want for -amusement. Ah, Mac, what a pity it is that you care nothing either for -angling or geology!’ - -‘I could not be fashed, as we used to say in the North. Every man to -his likes. I’ve got a treatise in my pocket on _The Diaphragm and its -Functions_, just down from London, with diagrams and plates. Now, if I -can only find a shady nook somewhere, I’ve no doubt that I shall enjoy -myself with my book for the next two or three hours quite as much as -you with your rod or hammer.’ - -‘So that’s your idea of a picnic, is it?’ The question came from Miss -Gaisford, who had come unperceived upon the two friends as they were -leaning over the parapet of the bridge. ‘To bury yourself among the -trees, eh,’ she went on, ‘and gloat over some dreadful pictures that -nobody but a doctor could look at without shuddering? Allow me to tell -you that you will be permitted to do nothing of the kind. You will just -put your treatise in your pocket, and try for once to make yourself -sociable. Perhaps, if you try very hard, you may even succeed in making -yourself agreeable.’ - -‘My poor Mac!’ murmured the vicar as he settled his spectacles more -firmly on his nose. - -The doctor said nothing, but his eyes twinkled, and he pursed up his -lips. - -‘I have arranged my plans for both of you,’ said Miss Pen with emphasis. - -‘For both of us!’ they exclaimed simultaneously. - -‘Yes. Lady Renshaw’—— - -‘O-h!’ It was a double groan. - -‘Don’t interrupt. Lady Renshaw will be here presently. As soon as she -appears on the scene, you will take charge of her. I have special -reasons for asking you to do this, which I cannot now explain. You -will amuse her, interest her, keep her out of the way, and prevent her -generally from making a nuisance of herself to any one but yourselves, -till luncheon-time.’ - -‘My dear Pen,’ began the vicar. - -‘My dear Miss Gaisford,’ pleaded the doctor. - -‘You will do as you are told, and do it without grumbling,’ was the -little woman’s reply as she shook a finger in both their faces. ‘I’ve -arranged my plans for the day, and I can’t have them interfered with.’ - -‘My dear Pen,’ again persisted the vicar, in his mildest tones, ‘that -your plan is a perfectly admirable one, I do not for one moment doubt, -only, as you know very well, I am not and never have been a ladies’ -man, and that in the company of your charming sex I’m just as shy -at fifty-five as I was at eighteen. But with Mac here the case is -altogether different. All doctors know how to please and flatter the -sex—it’s part of their stock-in-trade, so that Mac would be quite at -home with her ladyship; whereas I—well, the fact is I had made up my -mind to walk as far as’—— - -‘Blackstone Hollow,’ interrupted his sister, ‘in order that you might -have another look at that big trout about which you dream every night, -but which you will never succeed in catching as long as you live.’ - -‘The traitor! eh, Miss Penelope?’ cried the doctor. ‘This is neither -more nor less than prevarication—yes, sir, prevarication—there’s no -other word for it—and you the vicar of a parish, whose example ought to -be a shining light to all men! Septimus Gaisford, I’m ashamed of you! -As for Lady Renshaw’—— He ended with a snap of his fingers. - -‘Neither of you is afraid of her. Of course not,’ remarked Miss -Penelope. ‘You would scorn to acknowledge that you are afraid of any -woman. But why run any risk in the matter? Why allow her ladyship to -attack you separately, when, by keeping together and combining your -forces, you would render your position impregnable?’ - -‘Impregnable!’ both the gentlemen gasped out. - -Miss Gaisford’s merry laugh ran up the glen. ‘What a pair of delicious, -elderly nincompoops you are!’ she cried. ‘Septimus, you dear old -simpleton, haven’t you discovered that this woman would like nothing -better than to bring you to your knees with an offer of marriage?’ - -‘Good gracious, Pen!’ cried the vicar with a start that nearly shook -the spectacles off his nose. - -‘Doctor, did you not see enough of her ladyship’s tactics last evening -to understand that her plan with you is to induce you to believe that -she has fallen in love with you? and when one of your sex gets the -idea into his head that one of our sex is in love with him, why, then, -a little reciprocity of sentiment is the almost inevitable result.’ - -‘The hussy!’ exclaimed Mac. ‘I should like her to be laid up for a -fortnight and let me have the physicking of her!’ - -‘I noticed that she did press my arm rather more than seemed needful, -when we were walking last evening by the lake,’ remarked the vicar. - -‘And I remember now that she squeezed my hand in a way that seemed to -me quite unnecessary, when she bade me good-night on the steps of the -hotel.’ - -‘Gentlemen, let there be no jealousy between you, I beg,’ said Miss Pen -with mock-solemnity. ‘If you decline to combine your forces, then make -up your minds which of you is to have her ladyship, and let the other -one go and bewail his sorrows to the moon.’ - -‘By the way, who _is_ Lady Renshaw?’ asked the vicar. ‘I never had the -pleasure of hearing her name till yesterday.’ - -‘Her ladyship is the widow of an alderman and ex-sheriff of London, -who was knighted on the occasion of some great event in the City. Her -husband, who was much older than herself, left her very well off when -he died. That pretty girl, her niece, who travels about with her, has -no fortune of her own, and one of her ladyship’s chief objects in life -would seem to be to find a rich husband for her. At the same time, from -what I have already seen of her, it appears to me that Lady Renshaw -herself would by no means object to enter the matrimonial state again, -could she only find a husband to suit her views.’ - -‘A dangerous woman evidently. We must beware of her, Mac,’ said the -vicar. - -The doctor shook his head. ‘My dear friend, your caution doesn’t apply -to me,’ he said. ‘Lady Renshaw is just one of those women that I would -not think of making my wife, if she was worth her weight in gold.’ - -They had begun to stroll slowly forward during the last minute or two, -and leaving the bridge behind them, were now presently lost to view -down one of the many wooded paths which intersected the valley in every -direction. - -But a few minutes had passed, when Lady Renshaw and Miss Wynter -appeared, advancing slowly in the opposite direction. They halted on -the bridge as the others had done before them. - -‘What a sweetly pretty place!’ exclaimed Miss Wynter. ‘I had no idea it -would be half so lovely. I could wander about here for a week,’ adding -under her breath, ‘especially if I had Dick to keep me company.’ - -‘Pooh! my dear; you will have had quite enough of it by luncheon-time,’ -responded her aunt, who had seated herself on the low coping of the -bridge with her back to the view up the glen. - -‘I always thought you were an admirer of pretty scenery, aunt.’ - -‘So I am—when in society. But now that we are alone, there’s no need -to go into ecstasies about it. On a broiling day like this, I would -exchange all the scenery of the Lakes for an easy-chair in the veranda, -a nice novel, and the music of a band in the distance.’ Then, as if -suddenly remembering something, she gazed around and said: ‘By-the-bye, -what has become of Mr Golightly?’ - -‘I saw him strolling in this direction a few minutes ago,’ was the -innocent answer. ‘I have no doubt that he is somewhere about.’ - -‘Now that Archie Ridsdale has been called away, you will be able to -give him the whole of your attention. There seem plenty of quiet nooks -about where you will be able to get him for a time all to yourself. He -certainly seems excessively infatuated, considering how short a time he -has known you, and I should not be a bit surprised if that waterfall -were to lead him on to make violent love to you before you are six -hours older.’ - -‘Aunt!’ - -‘Oh, my dear, I’ve known stranger things than that happen. When a -susceptible young man and a pretty girl sit and watch a waterfall -together, he is almost sure before long to begin squeezing her hand, -and then what follows is simply a question of diplomacy on her part.’ - -‘If—if—in the course of a few days—Mr Golightly were to propose?’—— - -‘He may do it this very day for aught one can tell. He seems -infatuated enough for any thing. When he does propose, you will accept -him—conditionally. You will take care to let him see that you care for -him—a little. You have known him for so short a time that really you -scarcely know your own feelings—&c., &c. Of course, before finally -making up your mind, we must have some more definite information as to -the position and prospects of the young man, and what his father the -bishop has in view as regards his future. Besides, Mr Archie Ridsdale -may possibly be back in the course of a day or two.’ - -‘But in what way can Archie’s return affect me?’ - -‘You stupid girl! have I not already told you that Sir William is -nearly sure to refuse his consent, and that Archie’s engagement with -this Miss Loraine may be broken off at any moment. Then will come your -opportunity. Archie seemed very fond of you at one time, and there’s no -reason why he should not become fond of you again. Young men’s fancies -are as changeable as the wind, as you ought to know quite well by this -time.’ - -Bella only shrugged her shoulders and sauntered slowly over the bridge. - -The expression of Lady Renshaw’s face changed the moment she found -herself alone, and her thoughts reverted to a topic over which they had -busied themselves earlier in the day. - -‘So this high and mighty Madame De Vigne—this person whom nobody -seems to know anything about—could not condescend to come in the same -wagonette with us poor mortals! She and her sister must follow in a -carriage by themselves, forsooth! Last evening, when we got back from -the lake, she had retired for the night; this morning, she breakfasted -in her own room. I feel more convinced than ever that there’s some -mystery about her. If I could but find out what it is! Of course, in -such a case it would become my duty at once to communicate with Sir -William.’ - -Miss Wynter came back over the bridge, but much more quickly than she -had gone. ‘Oh, look, aunt!’ she exclaimed; ‘I declare there’s D—— I -mean Mr Golightly, standing yonder, gazing at the water, and all alone.’ - -Lady Renshaw took a survey of the young man through her glasses. -Feeling safe in his disguise, Richard had now discarded some portions -of the clerical-looking costume he had worn yesterday, and was attired -this morning more after the style of an ordinary tourist. - -‘You had better stroll gently along in the same direction,’ remarked -her ladyship. ‘Poor young man, he looks very lonely!’ - -‘But I can’t leave you alone, aunt.’ - -‘Never mind about me. Besides, I see that dear vicar and Dr M‘Murdo -coming this way.’ - -Lady Renshaw turned to greet Miss Gaisford and the two gentlemen, who -were still a little distance off. - -‘Here they come. To which of my two admirers shall I devote myself -to-day?’ she simpered. ‘Why not endeavour to play one off against the -other, and so excite a little jealousy? It is so nice to make the men -jealous. Poor dear Sir Timothy never would be jealous; but then he was -so very stupid!’ - -Miss Gaisford was the first to speak. ‘We were just wondering what had -become of you, Lady Renshaw.’ - -‘I lingered here to drink in this fairy scene. It is indeed too, too -exquisitely beautiful.’ - -‘If they would only turn on a little more water at the top of the cliff -it would be an improvement,’ answered Miss Pen.—‘Septimus, you might -inquire whether they can’t arrange it specially for us to-day.’ - -‘My dear!’ protested the vicar with mild-eyed amazement. - -‘Maybe, like myself,’ remarked the doctor, ‘your ladyship is a -worshipper of beautiful scenery?’ - -‘O yes. I dote on it—I revel in it. After I lost poor dear Sir Timothy, -I went to Switzerland, in the hope of being able to distract my mind by -travel. Those darling Alps, I shall always feel grateful to them!’ - -‘What did the Alps do for you, Lady Renshaw?’ queried Miss Pen with the -utmost gravity. - -‘They gave me back my peace of mind; they poured consolation into my -lacerated heart.’ - -‘Very kind of them—very kind indeed,’ answered Miss Pen drily. - -Lady Renshaw threw a quick, suspicious glance at her. ‘What a very -strange person!’ she murmured. The vicar’s sister was a puzzle to her. -It could not be that she was covertly making fun of her, Lady Renshaw! -No; the idea was too preposterous. - -Dr Mac had not gone about for fifty years with his eyes shut. He -had discovered that many persons, both male and female, who plume -themselves on their knowledge of the world and their shrewdness in -dealing with the common affairs of life, are yet as susceptible to -flattery, even of the most fulsome kind, and just as liable to be -led away by it into the regions of foolishness, as their far less -sophisticated fellow-mortals. What if this woman, with all her -worldly-mindedness and calculating selfishness, were one of those -individuals who may be dexterously led by the nose and persuaded to -dance to any tune so long as their ears are judiciously tickled? A -peculiar gleam came into the doctor’s eyes as these thoughts passed -through his mind. He cleared his voice and turned to her ladyship. - -‘It appears to me, Lady Renshaw,’ he began, ‘speaking from a -professional point of view, that you are gifted with one of those -highly-strung, super-sensitive, and poetical organisations which -render those who possess them peculiarly susceptible to all beautiful -influences whether of nature or of art. Hem.’ - -‘How thoroughly you understand me, Dr M‘Murdo!’ responded her ladyship, -beaming on him with one of her broadest smiles. - -The vicar took off his spectacles and proceeded to rub them vigorously -with his handkerchief. ‘Mac, you are nothing better than a barefaced -humbug,’ he whispered to himself. - -‘It would seem only natural, my dear madam,’ resumed the unblushing -doctor, ‘that a temperament such as yours, which throbs responsive to -beauty in all its thousand varied forms as readily as an Æolian harp -responds to the faintest sigh of the summer breeze, should—should find -an outlet for itself in one form or other. Have you never, may I ask, -attempted to pour out your thick crowding fancies in verse? Have you -never, while gazing on some such scene as this, felt as if you could -float away on—on the wings of Poesy? Have you never, in brief, felt as -if you could only find relief by rushing into song? Hem.’ - -The poor vicar fairly gasped for breath. - -‘Yes, yes; that is exactly how I have felt a thousand times,’ gushed -her ladyship. ‘At such moments I seem to exhale poetry.’ - -‘Dear me! rather a remarkable phenomenon,’ murmured Miss Pen. - -‘I long to be a dryad—or a nymph—or one of Dian’s huntresses in some -Arcadian grove of old.’ - -‘A nymph! Hum,’ remarked the vicar softly to himself. - -‘But I have never yet ventured to—to’—— - -‘Gush into song,’ suggested Miss Pen. - -‘To attempt to clothe my thoughts in rhythmic measures,’ went on -her ladyship with a little wave of the hand, as though deprecating -interruption, ‘although I have often felt an inward voice which -impelled me to do so.’ - -‘Let me advise you to try, my dear madam,’ resumed the doctor with his -gravest professional air. ‘If I may be allowed to say so, you have the -eye of a poet—dreamy, imaginative, with a sort of far-away gaze in it, -as though you were looking at something a long way off which nobody but -yourself could see.’ - -‘Ought I to listen to these things in silence?’ asked the vicar of -himself with a sudden qualm of conscience. - -‘You are a great, naughty flatterer, Dr M‘Murdo,’ said the widow, -shaking a podgy finger archly at him. - -‘Madam, that is one of the points on which my education has been -shamefully neglected.’ - -She turned with a smile. ‘I trust that our dear vicar is also a -worshipper of the beautiful?’ - -‘With Lady Renshaw before my eyes, it would be rank heresy to doubt -it,’ stammered the dear old boy with a blush that would have become a -lad of eighteen. - -‘Pass up one, Septimus,’ whispered his sister in his ear. - -‘If you talk to me in that strain, I shall begin to think you a very, -very dangerous man,’ simpered her ladyship. - -‘There’s a charming view of the lake from an opening in the trees a -little farther on,’ remarked Dr Mac. ‘Would not your ladyship like to -walk as far?’ - -‘By all means, though I am loath to tear myself from this exquisite -spot.’ - -‘We shall find our way back to it later on.’ - -‘With your permission, I will leave you good people for a little -while,’ remarked Miss Pen. ‘I’ve other fish to fry.’ - -Her ladyship stared. ‘What an excessively vulgar remark!’ was her -unspoken thought. - -Miss Gaisford turned to her. ‘Lady Renshaw, I must intrust these two -young sparks into your hands for a time.’ - -‘You could not leave us in more charming captivity,’ remarked the -gallant doctor. - -The vicar, as he fingered the hammer in his pocket, looked imploringly -at his sister, but she pretended not to see. - -‘Au revoir, then, dear Miss Gaisford,’ said her ladyship in her most -affable tones. - -‘Au revoir, au revoir.’ - -As the three went sauntering away, the vicar lagging a little behind -the others, Miss Pen heard the doctor say: ‘You know the song, Lady -Renshaw, _When I view those Scenes so charming_,’ after which nothing -but a murmur reached her ears. - -She turned away with a little laugh. ‘The doctor will fool her to -the top of her bent. Who would have thought that high-dried piece of -buckram had so much quiet fun in him?—And now to look after my hampers. -If I trust to the servants, by luncheon-time the ice, like Niobe, will -have wept itself away, the corkscrew will have taken a ramble on its -own account, the vinegar and salt will have gone into housekeeping -together, and the mustard will be making love to the blanc-mange. My -reputation is at stake.’ - - - - -AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS ON THEMSELVES. - - -It has been fairly proved in previous numbers of this _Journal_ that -so long as advertising continues, a newspaper can rarely be altogether -dull, for the curiosities of the advertisement columns often exhibit -strange freaks and fancies of human nature, which may afford amusement -when the news columns are at their grimmest and dreariest. But the -place of all others which may be regarded as the headquarters of the -advertising genius is the land across the Atlantic, and the papers -which are the medium of the greatest enterprise in this line are the -_Tribunes_ and _Suns_ of the United States; and most entertaining of -all are the announcements by which the American journals draw attention -to their own brilliant pages. An English newspaper directory is not -very attractive, except to the business portion of the community; -but an American publication of the kind is of a much more amusing -character; and in two bulky and comprehensive volumes, an indomitable -transatlantic publisher has issued a universal gazetteer, wherein the -newspapers of every part of the globe may be studied. - -In the first place, it is enough for an English paper, as a rule, to -state the town and county it represents; but young America must do -more than this, if readers outside her various regions are to estimate -the value of her press. Jacksonville or Euteroga must be set forth as -indisputably the most thriving city in the richest district of the -most prosperous State. Magnolia, advertisers are ‘notified,’ is a -‘flourishing town with more than twenty-five business-houses;’ Augusta -‘is growing and has a bright future;’ Westfield is ‘a thriving town -of above a thousand inhabitants,’ clearly affording scope for a large -circulation. - -Manchester (United States), we learn, in a sentence racy of the soil, -‘is a large, live, and growing city, makes one hundred and seventy-nine -miles of cloth per day, can build fifteen locomotives a month, and -fifty steam fire-engines a year, and an endless variety of other -products of skill and industry.’ Another rising spot has ‘fourteen -grocery, three hardware, and five dry goods stores, four tailor-shops, -six butcher-shops, two banks, four hotels, three grist-mills, two -stave-factories, foundry, planing-mills, &c., and six churches, one of -which cost about sixteen thousand dollars, and has a spire one hundred -and forty-eight feet high.’ But this edifice is outdone in a third town -which ‘points with just pride to its magnificent iron bridge, costing -over forty thousand dollars, and other evidences of public enterprise.’ -Middle Loup Valley is, we are told, ‘one of the largest and most -productive valleys in the State, which is from its picturesque scenery -and fertility of soil poetically called the “Rhine of America.”’ -Another touch of poetry is come across unexpectedly: ‘A belt of fire -from thousands of coke ovens surrounds Mount Pleasant, the centre of -the great Connellsville Coke County, and the place where the _Times and -Mining Journal_ is published;’ and there is a rhythmical swing about -the remark that the _Honey Grove Independent_ ‘is published in the land -where cotton grows rank and tall, and where cattle grow fat in the -wild prairies.’ But Honey Grove with its cattle is nothing to Hancock -County, where ‘the people have become so corpulent, that the druggists -are all becoming independently rich from the sale of Allen’s Anti-Fat;’ -and the Blue Grass Valley of Kentucky ‘is famous all over the world for -its handsome women, thoroughbred horses, rich soil, and fine climate.’ - -To be worthy of a land like this, the newspapers also possess rare -attractions for readers and advertisers, the latter especially. They -are ‘alive and growing’ ‘newsy! pithy! spicy!’ one is a ‘paper for all -mankind,’ another ‘overflows with local gossip,’ and a third ‘discusses -public questions with lively respectability, and feeds its readers with -no less than four and often five columns of spicy local matter each -week;’ a fourth has ‘everything first-class;’ you can get ‘a bright and -newsy wide-awake local paper,’ or ‘a live thirty-two column weekly;’ -and the _Eaton Rapids Journal_ will be found, appropriately to its -name, ‘a live paper in a live town.’ Yet more richly descriptive is the -account of the ‘red-hot local paper that feeds twenty thousand people -every week and makes them fat; advertisements can reach millions of -hungry minds through this medium.’ Again, we learn that ‘Life on the -ocean wave is nothing compared with reading the _Plymouth Pantograph_.’ -The _Sacramento Bee_ is ‘the spiciest, ablest, most brilliant, and -most independent journal published on the Pacific coast;’ while for -‘talking large,’ honourable mention should also be accorded to one -of Cincinnati’s lights, which is ‘the best paper ever published. All -its news is first-hand from upwards of fifteen hundred reporters and -correspondents in every part of the United States and Europe.’ - -But these are mere outward characteristics and generalisations. -Politics denote more distinctly the paper’s line of action, whether -‘stalwart Republican,’ ‘sound Democratic,’ or ‘Independent in all -things, neutral in nothing.’ Independence is the cry of many; they are -‘bold and fearless,’ express a hatred of party, rings and ringsters. -‘Now in its third volume,’ exults one banner of freedom, ‘and has -never halted by the way nor wearied of the fight. Always ready to take -up the cause of the poor and oppressed, and never ready to surrender -its independence to party, clique, or ring.’ ‘Has no axe to grind -other than the advancement of every social reform,’ a second patriot -proclaims. ‘Therefore it hits a head whenever that head is seen in -opposition to true advancement.’ For the extremes of party violence we -must go to a Southern journal, which does not, it may well be hoped, -‘speak as the masses of our people feel and talk;’ if it does, so much -the worse for the people. ‘If the Yankees,’ this rodomontade begins, -‘want to know the real sentiments of our people; if they want to have a -realising sense of the utter madness of trying to govern the grand old -sovereign States of the Confederacy, they will close their ears to the -lying professions of our policy-bumming politicians and subscribe to -the _Bartlett News_.’ Perhaps some such rant as that of the _Bartlett -News_ a certain _Labor Standard_ had in view while stating itself to be -‘not a blowing, blustering, black-mail sheet which has to be read in -private because its contents are unfit to be seen in the family,’ but -‘a clean live weekly paper, devoted entirely to the interests of the -working-classes.’ - -A Texan organ ‘will seek to be a photograph of all the resources -and needs of Texas; a mirror of her markets; a barometer of pure -principles, sound public faith, and private honour. Democratic, but -conservative, independent and outspoken in the exalted interests -of just criticism—no panderer to partisan men or measures, whether -right or wrong!’ This is independence with a vengeance, ahead even of -the gazette which ‘favours immigration, morality, and the Christian -religion; and unflinchingly opposes shams, rings, rogues, and enemies -to the people. It exposes villainy and crime wherever found, and hence -is read by the more intelligent classes of people in the field where it -circulates.’ - -The conjunction of immigration and the Christian religion reminds one -of the much bemourned lady who ‘painted in water-colours and of such -is the kingdom of heaven.’ But there is a still more frank linking -together of things temporal and spiritual in the ‘only Democratic -out-and-out paper in Western Iowa,’ which sails under the motto, more -Yankee than reverent, ‘Fear God, tell the truth, and make money;’ -the editor further announcing that if he ‘is allowed to live under a -Republican administration another year, he will carry your advertising -at five cents per line, fifty dollars per column, or furnish his paper -for one dollar fifty cents per year.’ - -The _Horseheads Journal and Chemung Co. Greenback_ ‘exposes -rascality everywhere, and aims to give something to interest and -instruct everybody every week,’ from which it may be surmised that -the _Horseheads Journal and Chemung Co. Greenback_ is happier in -its object than in its title. Many of these ‘wide-awake and spicy’ -representatives of Western culture are not remarkable for the elegance -of their names, the admixture of Indian and American resulting in -some curious compounds, such as the _Petrolea Topic_, the _Klickitat -Sentinel_, the _Katahdin Kalendar_, the _Waxahachie Enterprise_, and -the _Coshocton Age_. Yankee, pure and simple, reigns in the _Weekly -Blade_, _Jacksonian_, _Biggsville Clipper_, _People’s Telephone_, and -_New Haven Palladium_; but there is a charm of euphony about the _Xenia -Sunlight_ and _Golden Globe_, and the brevity which may be the soul of -wit in the _Call_, _Item_, _Plaindealer_, and _Editor’s Eye_. - -The editors, as is well known, come much more to the front than is -the case in England; they do not remain the invisible and mysterious -‘we’ of the editorial sanctum; their names are frequently advertised -with those of the publishers, occasionally, indeed, accompanied by -a portrait or other additional recommendation; one paper ‘is edited -by two of the ablest newspaper men in the State, and it will be hard -to find a better team in the editorial harness.’ ‘The most important -feature,’ we learn, ‘of the _Free Press_ is its funny squibs by the -editor, “Driftings from Dreamland,” which are original and spicy;’ and -as appropriately named, surely, is ‘a humorous department, “Tea and -Toast,”’ to be found in another print. A Texas editor offers ‘upon -justifiable encouragement to visit any county or city in Texas or -Mexico and make a statistical “write-up” of their every interest and -advantage,’ indicative of lively and reliable information for intending -immigrants; and a _Highland Recorder_, with an affection for the Land -o’ Cakes one can but sympathise with, says that ‘every page breathes of -Clan-Alpine freshness.’ - -Great stress is laid upon the home-printing of the small journals—‘no -patent outside or inside;’ ‘almost every sentence is of home -manufacture, little clipping is done;’ ‘the only paper that does -all its work at home,’ &c. A further noticeable feature is the -frequent use of certificates and testimonials as to circulation from -public and private individuals or from contemporary prints, or of -self-recommendations such as that of the paper which ‘has a very fine -list of country subscribers,’ or of the journal ‘published by a genuine -Jayhawker,’ which ‘goes to every post-office in the northern part of -the State.’ - -It is when we come to the direct announcements to advertisers, -however, that we get perhaps the queerest hints from our American -cousins. ‘Advertising rates cheerfully furnished’ appears frequently; -‘Advertisers love it’ is a short and sweet statement regarding one -paper; ‘Should be patronised by every live advertiser;’ ‘Advertisers, -do you want some return for your money? Read our inducements,’ -say others. Then, ‘The modesty of the publishers deters them from -mentioning the peculiar merits of the _Courier_ as an advertising -medium’—a modesty rivalled by the remark, ‘Rates of advertising so -low that we are almost ashamed to announce them,’ which differs from -the standpoint of a third, ‘Advertising rates held high enough to -make a living for the publisher;’ and the latter appears upon the -whole to be the more general sentiment, as may be testified by ‘Don’t -send offers under price,’ ‘We only advertise _for money_.’ The last -sentence alludes to a species of exchange evidently less popular among -the publishers than with their clients. ‘No advertising solicited,’ -says the _Westfield Pantograph_, ‘except for cash, or what may be as -good. No space to give away or let at half-price.’ More decisive is the -_Calhoun Pilot_, which ‘is choice in the admission of advertisements -in its columns, and those it does admit, “due bills” of no character -will settle for them. Must be in hard cash quarterly in advance, unless -good references are given. Save your paper and postage, ye advertisers -who have nothing to offer us for our space than your wares and due -bills. We don’t want ’em. We have a good article to retail, and nothing -but the almighty dollar will buy it. But,’ adds the _Pilot_ more -amiably, ‘while this is strictly our rule, our rates are low, and we -give value received for all the lucre you place in our possession.’ -Still more downright is the declaration, ‘No three-cornered patent -pills, second-hand clothing, skunk-hunting machines, or hand-organs -taken in payment for advertising.’ ‘The _News_ publishes no dead -ads., and gives no puffs;’ ‘No half-cash advertisements accepted, no -swindling or bogus patrons wanted.’ ‘Dead-beat, swindling advertisers,’ -sarcastically announces the _Troy Free Press_, ‘can have their matter -chucked carefully into the stove by sending them to our office. Our -space is for sale, and must be paid for at living rates.’ But there -is encouragement for honest advertisers given by a _Clipper-Herald_ -through whose columns announcements ‘go to that class of people who -are honest and intelligent and who pay for what they get;’ and in an -equally straightforward assertion elsewhere, the _mens conscia recti_ -of the editor rises superior to grammar into the realms of wit: ‘Has a -good circulation among a prompt-paying class of people—these be facts!’ - -Facts or not, there is a distinctive character about Jonathan’s -advertisements equal to some of the fiction with which he has supplied -us. - - - - -THE MISSING CLUE. - - -CHAPTER III.—THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT. - -Down-stairs in the public room, the faithful Derrick is engaged in a -seemingly interesting conversation with mine host Hobb Dipping and two -or three other jolly good fellows, who are all drinking at his expense. -No sign yet had the attendant discovered that had served to arouse his -suspicions. No word had been spoken which in any way showed that the -natives of this desolate place were anxious to know more about his -master or himself. A suspicion of danger often arouses our fears and -doubts when there is perhaps the smallest occasion for either. The -honest countrymen troubled themselves much less about the matter than -even the worthy host, who was happily indifferent to everything but the -fact that Mr Morton and his servant were rare and profitable customers. -The lumbering knot of labourers at length departs, and mine host locks -and bars the door; while Derrick, not a little fatigued with the -harassing events of the day, is left standing alone, surveying a row of -empty benches which the retiring fenmen have just quitted. Burly Hobb -comes back puffing and blowing, his red face glowing like the setting -sun, and his bald skull spotted with perspiration through the exertion -he has undergone in securing the strongly built outer door. - -‘Landlord, I’m going to bed,’ says Derrick, who has suddenly returned -to his original gruffness. - -‘Very good, sir,’ is the reply of the host, who forthwith trims and -lights an atom of a lamp which he fishes out of a cupboard by the -fireplace. ‘I hope you will sleep well, sir.’ - -Derrick’s eyes are watching the innkeeper from under his beetling -brows, and he answers gruffly: ‘I hope so.’ - -‘I’ve heard it said,’ goes on the loquacious host, ‘that a good sleep -is worth a fortune to an over-tired man. I see nothing to prevent you -sleeping well here, sir.’ - -‘Not much likelihood of being roused in the night, eh?’ remarks the -attendant. - -‘Why, no, sir,’ answers Dipping, wondering what motive his guest could -have in asking such a question. ‘There’s no one to disturb you here, -unless, indeed, it be your master himself.’ - -‘Many visitors here?’ inquired Derrick, as old Hobb leads the way up -the dusky, creaking staircase with the flickering lamp in his hand. - -‘None at all, sir,’ replied the landlord in a melancholy tone. ‘There -never is any one here—leastways, very, very seldom. I haven’t had a -visitor stopping in this house for a matter of—I can’t rightly say -how long; but I know it’s a mortal long while, for since my poor wife -died’—— - -‘Is this my room?’ interrupts Derrick, as the innkeeper halts before a -solid-looking black door at the head of the staircase. - -‘It is,’ answers old Dipping. ‘You are pretty close to your master, -sir.’ - -‘I know,’ is all that the attendant deigns to say, as he pushes open -the door and enters with the light, leaving the landlord to stumble -down-stairs in the dark as best he may. Having carefully fastened the -door, Derrick sets down the light, and approaches the window with the -intention of getting a breath of fresh air. The casement is somewhat -hard to unfasten, and when at length he succeeds in opening it, the -lamp which he has brought is blown out under the sudden influence of -a gust of air which is admitted. No matter; he does not want it. The -night-breeze is cool and refreshing, a favourable contrast to the hot -stifling room below, and Derrick, as he leans upon the window-ledge, -begins to appear more contented and at ease. All afterglow of the -twilight has long disappeared, and the moon is shining with a sickly -light upon a low layer of mist which covers the marshy flats. Above -the thin watery fog which has arisen from the sluggish stream and -enshrouded the village as in a winding-sheet, the great shattered -tower of the monastery rises ghostlike and dim, while the silence of -the vast solitude is unbroken by a single sound. Even Derrick is not -insensible to the peculiar beauty and stillness of the scene, and he -lounges there, humming a tune, and watching the silvery trickle upon -the watery marsh long after mine host has retired to rest. At length he -closes the casement and divests himself of his heavy boots. Tired as -he is, he does not attempt to remove his clothes. The man had seen a -deal of sharp service, and experience had taught him long ago that in -cases where he might be wanted at any moment, it were better to sleep -in them. He merely places his pistols within reach, and then throwing -himself upon the bed, endeavours to sleep. - -Every one knows what it is to arrive at that dreamy state of -semi-unconsciousness when the weary senses, failing at once to engage -the attentions of the drowsy god, find a sort of relief in a long train -of most disconnected thought. It was thus with Derrick. The fatigues -of the day had proved too much for even that hardy individual, so -that, instead of falling at once into a sound refreshing sleep, he -was drowsily conning over the different events which had occurred, -his rambling imagination colouring them with a variety of indistinct -pictures and incidents. These weird fancies at length grew fainter -and fainter, and the attendant was fast sinking into slumber, when -suddenly, and as it seemed without a cause, he awoke. Through the -casement the moon was staring down upon him like a pale still face, -and the greater part of his recumbent person lay bathed in its cold -light. All was still; there seemed not the slightest reason why he -should be thus aroused. The silence was profound, and the very beating -of Derrick’s heart sounded like a hammer thumping time in his head. -Scarcely knowing what he does, he sits up on the edge of his bed and -listens. Yes; he was not mistaken, there seemed to be a faint noise -approaching the old inn—a low measured tramp. The hammer-like beating -grows louder as Derrick, with every nerve strained to the utmost -pitch, silently rises and once more opens the casement. There can be -no mistake now; some persons are approaching; and in that low tramp, -distant as it is, he recognises the marching of a body of soldiers. -He closes the window softly, and taking his heavy riding-boots in his -hand, unfastens the door, and glides softly along the gallery towards -his master’s apartment. Owing to the pitchy darkness in which the -gallery is enveloped, he experiences some difficulty in groping his -way without stumbling; but reaching the further end at last, he feels -his way to his master’s door and gives the required signal. It is -answered with unexpected suddenness, the door being instantly thrown -open, and Sir Carnaby appearing on the threshold. He is fully dressed, -like Derrick; he has not even removed his outer clothing, and in his -hand is a short broad-bladed knife. The saddle-bags lie upon the table, -and a portion of their contents, discernible by a dim night-light, is -scattered about; but the black box is gone. - -In a very few words, the trusty henchman explains what is the reason -of his coming, and urges his master to hold himself in readiness to -escape, should it be necessary. Sir Carnaby looks at him while he -speaks as if he does not quite understand his hurried explanation; -but when the attendant has finished, he looks around the room with an -anxious air, and then says: ‘If it be so, Derrick, we must get off -somehow as quickly as we can. This window, I think, looks towards the -back of the house. Can you not manage to descend into the courtyard and -get out our horses? Lead them down the bank of the stream towards that -tall beacon by the dike. You must remember the place; we remarked it as -we passed the mill on our journey here.’ - -‘I remember the place, Sir Carnaby; but I am not going to make off -there, and leave you alone here.’ - -‘I shall be safe enough, I tell you, Derrick,’ said the baronet as he -hastily motioned to the attendant to go. ‘I cannot come yet; I cannot; -it is impossible.’ - -‘I will wait below, then,’ is the stubborn reply of his servant, who is -already half out of the window. - -‘Derrick,’ says Sir Carnaby, laying his hand upon the attendant’s -shoulder, ‘do what I tell you. I cannot come now; and if you wait below -for me, as you say, we shall both be discovered. More lives than our -own depend upon your obeying me at this moment. Go, as I tell you, and -wait for me by the beacon; and I will join you as soon as I possibly -can.’ - -The man clasps his master’s hand, and, with something like tears in -his eyes, makes his way to the ground. The fugitive baronet has no -emotion expressed on his countenance, for he fears not for himself; his -thoughts are centred upon that black box which has now so strangely -disappeared. With the broad-bladed knife still in his hand, he goes -towards a corner of the room, kneels down, and appears to busy himself -with the planking of the floor. - - * * * * * - -Fortunately for himself, Derrick had found his way to the shed where -the horses had been stabled; and his efforts to saddle and bring them -out had proved successful. The great gates leading out of the courtyard -of the old inn were fastened; but this did not deter the attendant’s -movements for an instant. Leading the horses through a gap in the fence -at the back of the _Saxonford Arms_, he crossed a small cultivated -inclosure, and emerged from the cover of a hedge upon the open highway. -Stopping for a moment to listen, he plainly distinguished the measured -tramp of soldiers approaching the inn, mingled with the low peculiar -clank of arms and accoutrements. One circumstance which particularly -alarmed Derrick was that the sound plainly came from the direction -in which he had to go. There was no time for thought, however; the -warning tramp which broke the stillness of the night came nearer and -nearer, and over the old timber bridge which crossed the stream came -a dim file of figures—eleven of them. Derrick could easily count the -number as they passed over the bridge and came straight towards the old -_Saxonford Arms_, their fixed bayonets flashing and glittering in the -moonlight. - -There was but one course he could take; he must move forward and pass -them. No opportunity for making a detour, for the military were not -one hundred yards from the house, and the attendant knew that he had -been seen. Muttering a prayer for his master’s safety, Derrick put the -horses to a slow trot, and advanced towards the soldiers with a feeling -of fear at his heart which he had never before experienced. He had not -covered half the distance before a sharp word of command came from the -front, and a line was drawn up across the road, evidently with the -intention of disputing his further progress. A dash for it now; delay -meant capture both for himself and his master. Digging spurs into his -horse’s sides, the attendant laid the flat of his broad blade over the -flanks of Sir Carnaby’s charger which he led, and tore down the road -like a whirlwind. It was all over in a minute. A sheet of flame shot -forth as the bold horseman broke through the line, and then, without -a check, he found himself ascending the steep bank close against the -bridge. The soldiers, however, who had taken the initiative, had -no intention of letting their suspected quarry escape. Before Sir -Carnaby’s servant could head the bank, he was surrounded, and a hoarse -cry to stop and surrender came from his pursuers. In this they had -mistaken their man. Derrick entertained no such idea. He indeed hoped -that the firing would alarm his master, and allow him time to make his -retreat in safety; but not a thought had he of yielding. Once more -clapping spurs to his horse, and striking right and left with his drawn -blade, the attendant partially succeeded in clearing himself from the -press. - -At this moment, a random shot from one of the military dropped his -master’s horse, which he had been leading. Derrick had scarcely time to -disengage his arm from the bridle before the poor animal went crashing -down, breaking the worm-eaten railing of the bridge like matchwood, and -throwing one of his assailants headlong into the stream below. In the -confusion, Derrick received a bayonet-wound in the left arm, and he was -nearly pulled from his saddle; but shaking himself free with almost -superhuman strength, he applied his spurs, and galloped across the old -bridge for dear life. - -Although there appeared to be no attempt at pursuit, Derrick did not -judge it prudent to ride straight for the spot where he hoped to meet -his master. After making a considerable circuit, the trusty henchman, -faithful to the last, reined in his reeking steed, and gazed across the -flat misty space in the direction of the _Saxonford Arms_. The silence, -however, was as complete as when he had sat at that open window looking -over the fen. Not a soul was anywhere near him. Putting his horse once -more in motion, the man rode slowly along the bank until he reached -the place of rendezvous. It was as he both feared and suspected. Sir -Carnaby was not there. He must wait. The clear night clouded, and the -hours passed by, but yet his master came not. Derrick might wait until -the crack of doom, but he never would meet his master again on earth. -The devoted courage of the servant was useless now, for, pierced by a -musket bullet, Sir Carnaby Vincent lay lifeless across the stairs of -the old _Saxonford Arms_. - - -CHAPTER IV.—AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS. - -It wanted but a few days to Christmas 1760—a seasonable Christmas, -and in keeping with that festive season of the year. Snow and sharp -north-east winds had been plentiful for nearly a week past. The flat -country all around the time-honoured cathedral city of Fridswold had -been covered with a vast sheet of drifted snow, which had found its -way into every nook and crevice, filling up all the ditches and dikes -until they were level with the surrounding country. The minster tower -was embellished with an innumerable number of white patches, and the -minster roofs were hidden under a thick covering of frozen snow. It was -evident that King Christmas had things to his liking this time, and -was bent upon enjoying his own particular time in his own particular -way. Meanwhile the wind roared on, roared and whistled, and whisked -the sharp frozen snowflakes round and round, dashing them, as if in -impotent rage, against the sturdy walls of the minster. The air was so -thick that, although the hour was not late, darkness had set in with -a density that obscured every object from view, while the tolling of -the great vespers-bell was drowned by the distracting uproar of the -elements. - -It was during one of the uncertain lulls which occurred from time to -time, that a figure emerged from the protecting shelter of one of the -cathedral buttresses, and wrapping himself in the folds of a horseman’s -cloak, strode hastily forward, evidently intending to take advantage -of the brief calm and reach some haven of shelter. Scarcely a single -person was to be seen in the deserted streets, through which the blast -tore with such mad fury that the buffeted wayfarer staggered again. -Visions of glowing fires, dry clothes, and comfortable shelter rose -before his imagination as he passed a brightly lighted window. But -there was no stopping for him; he must on and fight this tough battle -with the pitiless wind as best he may. His destination is at length -reached. The weather-beaten traveller descends a couple of steps, -passes through an open doorway, and emerges from the outer darkness -into a warm, cosy-looking bar—his clothes half-frozen, and crusted -with patches of snow. He is apparently known here, for he is instantly -relieved of his cloak and hat by a neat-looking damsel, who up to the -present moment has been engaged in a light and refreshing flirtation -with a large, hot-visaged man lounging before the fire. - -‘Sharp weather this, sir,’ remarked that worthy, slightly moving from -his place. - -‘Sharp indeed!’ returned the other in a deep voice, as he shook some -loose particles of snow from his person. - -‘Ah, this’ll be a bad time for many people,’ was the next remark the -large man ventured upon. - -A muttered exclamation dropped from the lips of the last comer, but was -too indistinct to be heard. - -‘There’ll be many a person remember this night,’ continued he of the -fiery countenance, with an insane notion that he was getting along -capitally. - -The individual addressed turned sharply round, fixing a pair of dark -eyes upon the other’s face, but he did not speak. - -Somewhat discouraged, the large man paused for a minute ere he spoke -again. The person he seemed so wishful to converse with was a tall, -handsome, young fellow, dressed in a sort of half-military costume, and -with a bold dashing look, sufficient in itself to attract notice. By -his side was a silver-hilted rapier, the ordinary weapon of a gentleman -of the day; and the martial look of the wearer was sufficient proof -that he would be prompt to use it in any emergency. Seemingly not -satisfied with the long inspection he had thought fit to take, our -red-faced friend once more endeavoured to enter into conversation; but -the gentleman, after giving the maid some orders, quitted the room. - -‘Is that gentleman staying in the house, Peggy, my dear?’ asked the -red-faced one of the waiting-maid. - -‘Yes; he came here last night,’ replied the girl, who was perfectly -ready to resume the aforesaid flirtation, which had been interrupted by -the entrance of the visitor. - -But the man with the fiery face now seemed to be persistently -interested in the stranger. ‘What may his name be, Peg?’ he asked in a -tone of affected carelessness. - -‘That’s no business of yours, Mr Goff,’ retorted the damsel a trifle -tartly, for the swain’s indifference somewhat nettled her. - -‘Now, Peggy, my chuck, don’t get crusty,’ said the big man in wheedling -accents. ‘What’s that you’ve got in your pretty hand?’ - -‘It’s the gentleman’s hat,’ replied the fair maid, somewhat relaxing. -‘I’m going to dry it by the fire with his cloak. They’re sopping wet, -now the snow’s melted on them.’ - -‘He’s not likely to lose his headpiece, whoever he may be,’ remarked -Mr Goff. ‘I can see “R. Ainslie” on the lining quite plain, as you’re -holding it now.’ - -‘You seem to take a deal of interest in the gentleman,’ laughed Peggy -as she turned the hat away. - -‘It’s mighty little interest I take in any one except you, my beauty,’ -returned Mr Goff. ‘I only thought the young fellow looked wonderful -weary and tired like.’ - -‘He looked that yesterday,’ said Peggy, warming to the subject. ‘I felt -quite sorry for him when he rode up. It wasn’t fit weather to turn a -dog out in.’ - -‘And he’s been out again to-day?’ hazarded the big man. - -‘Yes,’ replied Peggy, depositing the hat and cloak in front of the -roaring blaze. ‘He went out early on foot, leaving his horse in the -stable, and we saw nothing more of him till two o’clock. He came back -then, and ordered something to eat; but, as I’m a living creature, I -think he scarcely touched it. After that, he went out again, and did -not return till just now.’ - -‘It seems wonderful curious,’ said Mr Goff slowly, as he buttoned up -his coat and prepared to go—‘seems wonderful curious that a young gent -should go on in that fashion. When I see ’em a-doing so, I always have -a sort of notion that they’ve got something on their minds, and are -going to act rash.’ - -‘That’s your experience, is it?’ said the girl with a laugh. ‘I don’t -think much of it.’ - -‘Possibly not,’ returned the other. ‘Good-night.’ - - - - -A SOLITARY ISLAND. - - -The government of Iceland have commissioned Mr Thoroddsen to undertake -systematic explorations of that island, with a view to investigating -its physical features and describing its natural history. While on a -visit to Grimsey, a small island twenty-two miles due north of Iceland, -he found it inhabited by eighty-eight human beings, debarred from all -communication with the mainland, excepting once or twice every year, -when, at great risk, the natives contrived to visit the mainland in -their small open boats. - -After describing the flora and meteorology of this secluded islet, -Mr Thoroddsen informs us that the ‘pastor of the island, M. Pjetur -Gudmundsson, has for many years been engaged in exceedingly careful -meteorological observations on behalf of the Meteorological Institute -of Copenhagen. This most worthy gentleman, living here in conspicuous -poverty, like a hermit divorced from the world, though he has the -comfort of a good wife to be thankful for, is not only regarded as -a father by his primitive congregation, but enjoys, moreover, the -reputation of being in the front rank among sacred poets in modern -Iceland. - -‘The inhabitants derive their livelihood for the most part from -bird-catching, nest-robbing, and deep-sea fisheries. The precipices -that form the eastern face of the island are crowded with myriads of -various kinds of sea-fowl. On every ledge the birds are seen thickly -packed together; the rocks are white with guano, or green-tufted with -scurvy-grass; here everything is in ceaseless movement, stir, and -flutter, accompanied by a myriad-voiced concert from screamers on the -wing, from chatterers on domestic affairs in the rock-ledges, and -from brawlers at the parliament of love out at sea, the surface of -which beneath the rocks is literally thatched at this time of the year -with the wooing multitudes of this happy commonwealth. If the peace -is broken by a stone rolled over the precipice or by the report of -a gunshot, the air is suddenly darkened by the rising clouds of the -disturbed birds, which, viewed from the rocks, resemble what might be -taken for gigantic swarms of bees or midges. - -‘The method adopted for collecting eggs is the following: Provided with -a strong rope, some nine or ten stalwart men go to the precipice, where -it is some three hundred feet high, and one of the number volunteers -or is singled out by the rest for the perilous _sig_, that is, “sink” -or “drop,” over the edge of the rocks. Round his thighs and waist, -thickly padded generally with bags stuffed with feathers or hay, the -_sigamadr_, “sinkman” or “dropman,” adjusts the rope in such a manner -that he may hang, when dropped, in a sitting posture. He is also -dressed in a wide smock or sack of coarse calico, open at the breast, -and tied round the waist with a belt, into the ample folds of which -he slips the eggs he gathers, the capacity of the smock affording -accommodation to from one hundred to one hundred and fifty eggs at a -time. In one hand the sinkman holds a pole, sixteen feet long, with a -ladle tied to one end, and by this means scoops the eggs out of nests -which are beyond the reach of his own hands. When the purpose of this -“breath-fetching” sink is accomplished, on a given sign the dropman is -hauled up again by his comrades. This, as may readily be imagined, is -a most dangerous undertaking, and many a life has been lost over it in -Grimsey from accidents occurring to the rope. - -‘For the pursuit of the fishery, the island possesses fourteen small -open boats, in which the men will venture out as far as four to six -miles cod-fishing; but this is a most hazardous industry, owing both -to the sudden manner in which the sea will rise, sometimes even a -long time in advance of travelling storms, and to the difficulty of -effecting a landing on the harbourless island. - -‘Now and then the monotony of the life of the inhabitants is broken by -visits from foreigners, mostly Icelandic shark-fishers, or English or -French fishermen. - -‘Of domestic animals the islanders now possess only a few sheep. -Formerly there were five cows in the island; but the hard winter -of 1860 necessitated their extermination, and since that time, for -twenty-four years, the people have had to do without a cow! Of horses -there are only two at present (1884) in the island! Strange to say, the -health of the people seems on the whole to bear a fair comparison with -more favoured localities. Scurvy, which formerly was very prevalent, -has now almost disappeared, as has also a disease peculiar to children, -which, in the form of spasm or convulsive fit, used to be very fatal to -infant life in former years. - -‘Inexpressibly solitary must be the life of these people in winter, -shut out from all communication with the outer world, and having -in view, as far as the eye can reach, nothing but arctic ice. The -existence of generation after generation here seems to be spent in -one continuous and unavailing arctic expedition. The only diversion -afforded by nature consists in the shifting colours of the flickering -aurora borealis, in the twinkling of the stars in the heavens, and -the fantastic forms of wandering icebergs. No wonder that such -surroundings should serve to produce a quiet, serious, devout, and -down-hearted race, in which respect the Grimsey men may perhaps be -said to constitute a typical group among their compatriots. However, -to dispel the heavy tedium of the long winter days, they seek their -amusements in the reading of the Sagas, in chess-playing, and in such -mild dissipations at mutual entertainments at Christmas-time as their -splendid poverty will allow.’ - - - - -FORESTRY AND FARMING. - - -At one of the evening lectures in connection with the late Edinburgh -Forestry Exhibition, Mr J. Meldrum spoke of the ‘Johore Forests’ which -are situated in the Malayan Peninsula between the British settlements -of Singapore and Malacca. The greater part of the interior, he said, -consisted of a virgin forest, and abounded in timber trees of a large -size, no fewer than three hundred and fifty specimens of which were to -be seen in the Forestry Exhibition. About three hundred kinds awaited -the advent of the papermaker, who would be able to convert them into -useful wood-pulp at a very low cost. Railways were required to make -this wealth of timber available for commercial purposes. - -Another lecture by Mr Cracknell at the model of the Manitoba Farm -embodied some interesting information regarding the Canadian -north-west. The Bell Farm in Qu’appelle he described as the largest -farm in the world. There were eight thousand acres under crop, five -thousand under wheat, and a portion of the remainder under flax. From -this farm, ten thousand bushels of wheat had been exported at a good -price last year; and this year’s crop was estimated to be forty per -cent. better. The estimated wheat acreage this year in Manitoba is -three hundred and fifty thousand; and in the north-west territories -sixty-five thousand, with an estimated yield of twenty-three bushels -an acre. There was thus a total of four hundred and fifteen thousand -acres, and nine million five hundred and forty-five thousand bushels; -but deducting two million seven hundred and sixty thousand bushels for -home consumption and seed, there remained a surplus of six million -seven hundred and eighty-five thousand bushels. There is little -consolation here for the British farmer, who finds wheat-growing at the -present low prices positively unremunerative. - - - - -A LOVE-THOUGHT. - - - If thou wert only, love, a tiny flower, - And I a butterfly with gaudy wings, - Flitting to changing scenes each changing hour, - Careless of aught save that which pleasure brings— - Not even I could leave the lowliest glade - That held thy loveliness within its shade. - - If thou wert but a streamlet in the vale, - And I a sailor on a stormy sea, - Flying through whirling foam beneath the gale, - Chartless in all that wild immensity— - Thy murmuring voice would echo in my soul - Through howling storm or crashing thunder-roll. - - If, darling, thou wert but a far-off star, - And I a weary wanderer o’er the plain, - Unwitting of celestial worlds afar, - And knowing naught of all the shining train— - My glance would single out thy ray serene, - Though blazing suns and planets rolled between. - - Yet, dear one, thou art these to me, and more: - My flower, whose radiance passeth all decay; - My streamlet of sweet thoughts in endless store; - My star, to guide my steps to perfect day; - My hope in earth’s dark dungeon of despair; - My refuge ’mid life’s weary noonday glare. - - H. ERNEST NICHOL. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 45, VOL. I, NOVEMBER 8, -1884 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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